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James Caan, Tuesday Weld, Willie Nelson, James Belushi, Robert Prosky ... see more see more... , Tom Signorelli , Chuck Adamson , Spero Anast , W.R. [Bill] Brown , Michael Paul Chan , Sam Cirone , Del Close , Nathan Davis , Dennis Farina , John Kapelos , Marge Kotlisky , Gavin MacFayden , Nick Nickeas , Elizabeth Peña , William L. Petersen , John Santucci , J. Jay Saunders , Lora Staley , Norm Tobin , Bruce A. Young , Walter Scott , Tom Howard , Thomas O. Erhart Jr. , Hal Frank , Richard Karie , Mike Genovese

In Thief, James Caan plays Frank, a professional jewel thief who wants to marry Jessie (Tuesday Weld) and settle down into a normal life. In order to achieve his dream of a family, Frank--who is used ... read more read more...to working solo--has to align himself with a crime boss named Leo (Robert Prosky), who will help him gain the money he needs to begin his domestic life. Frank plans to retire after the heist, yet he finds himself indebted to Leo and he struggles to break free. Thief is the first feature film from director Michael Mann and it seethes with his stylish, atmospheric direction. Though his cool approach may put off some viewers, it's a distinctive and effective story-telling approach, and Caan's performance ranks among his very best, making Thief a crime movie like few others. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, Rovi

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76% liked it

5,722 ratings

Critics

95% liked it

20 critics

R, 2 hr. 2 min.

Directed by: Michael Mann

Release Date: March 27, 1981

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DVD Release Date: May 15, 2001

Stats: 344 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (344)

  • ajv2688
    January 11, 2011
    ajv2688
    A stylish all star movie with a simple and utterly predictable story. It's just okay.
  • DrBenway
    August 10, 2010
    DrBenway
    You probably don't know this about me. Part of what I do for a living is cracking safes open. I'm pretty good at it. So, when watching heist films, it's usually difficult for me to enjoy them due to the hokey, corny steps filmmakers use in various heist films. Ocean's 11, 12,... read more and 13 come to mind.

    However, there is something I can usually count on when watching a Michael Mann film. The director may take some steps in order to add drama to some scenes but, for the most part, they're technically spot on. The tools used here are real and the actors had to learn to use them.

    This was the first Michael Mann film I remember seeing. I remember thinking what a cool, calculating son-of-a-bitch Frank (James Caan) was. I'm reminded of his character when watching Neil (Robert DeNiro) in the film Heat. Even James Belushi is good here, years before his later smart-ass demeanor, playing it very cool. Then again, he's surrounded by tough characters who would just as soon bust his mouth open should he smart off. The supporting cast are perfect in their roles. Willie Nelson adds depth in a cameo worth mentioning.

    Tight script, great cinematography, and the little touches such as James Caan speaking firmly without contractions all add up to a favorite hard-boiled crime drama.

    Photobucket
  • fb619846742
    August 2, 2010
    fb619846742
    A solid film detailing the life of a pro thief (James Caan) and the changes his career encounters once an individual (Robert Prosky) with a lot of power gets him interested in one last final score. While undoubtedly formulaic to a degree and failing to give more color to some imp... read moreortant supporting characters (Belushi's and Nelson's, especially), the film succeeds in large part due to James Caan's convincing performance as a dangerous man who is very good at what he does. Although this doesn't really come close to matching the heist masterpiece that is Michael Mann's "Heat", it's still a well-rounded film concerning these types of people and how once you're in, you can never get out.
  • DrZeek
    July 20, 2009
    DrZeek
    Frank: Look, in what I do there are sometimes pressures. What the hell do you think that I do? Come on. Come on, every morning I walk in for five months, say hi - what the hell do you think that I do?
    Jessie: You sell little fucking cars, that's what you do.
    Frank: I wear $15... read more0 slacks, I wear silk shirts, I wear $800 suits, I wear a gold watch, I wear a perfect, D-flawless three carat ring. I change cars like other guys change their fucking shoes. I'm a thief. I've been in prison, all right?

    Michael Mann's first feature film, starring James Caan as an expert safecracker, is a well done neo-noir that certain establishes a number of filmmaking techniques that Mann would go on to use in his other works.

    Caan stars as Frank, a jewel theif essentially forced into pulling one big job before retiring. Its the standard heist plot, but the movie does many things right. It establishes its characters, using dialog that almost feels like a David Mamet film from the way everyone seems to speak in the moment, without breaking it down for the audience.

    Frank: You're marking time is what you are. You're backing off. You're hiding out. You're waiting for a bus that you hope never comes because you dont wanna get on it anyway because you don't wanna go anywhere. Ok?

    The majority of the film involves Caan setting up a big heist in Los Angeles for a big time fence who is of course crooked. James Belushi costars as Caan's accomplice. Tuesday Weld turns up as the woman in Frank's life. And there is a very well preformed, but brief role from Willie Nelson as a father figure to Frank, stuck in prison.

    Much of the appeal of this film comes from Mann's style. There are two long sequences involving heists in this film that have no dialog whatsoever, reminding me very much of the excellent French 40s noir - Rififi. These sequences are exciting to watch and just really cool to see in action.

    The rest of the film makes sure to have carefully setup shots, mainly at night that certainly give off the noir vibe that Mann really likes. His handling of the photography in this movie is excellent and the 80s scoring from Tangerine Dream certainly adds to this.

    Its a bit slow paced, but there are standout sequences, with Caan giving a great performance, and the look of the film keeping everything cool and stylish.

    Frank: I am the last guy in the world that you wanna fuck with.
  • movieguru12
    September 2, 2008
    movieguru12
    This movie was awesome. James Caan is a great actor and The Godfather proved that. Although, I like The Godfather the teeniest bit more,this movie was action-packed and a great movie!!!
  • kenstachnik
    March 31, 2008
    kenstachnik
    Michael Mann welcomes Neon-Noir to the world.
  • harrycaul
    December 4, 2007
    harrycaul
    It would take another 15 years for Michael Mann to perfect the Melvillian heist movie with "Heat", but this was an excellent first attempt. I never really bought the romantic sub-plot with Tuesday Weld but it did allow for a funny scene at an adoption agency. It would have been a... read more nice touch for James Caan to have played the Jon Voight role in "Heat"...
  • YLOWBSTARDreturns
    September 6, 2007
    YLOWBSTARDreturns
    Great, Great film. Mann's second best next to heat.
  • fb704730572
    May 7, 2012
    fb704730572
    Michael Mann's first theatrical film set the bar high for what would become a very illustrious career. The film is beautifully shot, well acted, stylistic, atmospheric, appropriately moody, and always engrossing. In short, it's what Michael Mann does best. You can see all of his ... read moretendencies on display here, and to great effect, save perhaps his sense of action, which he would later improve on drastically. On its own merits, Thief is a truly great film, a smart heist/crime drama, done in a fashion that would be imitated by many. It's not his masterpiece (Heat), but it's a must see for all Mann fans.

    4.5/5 Stars
  • Fascade518
    May 31, 2010
    Fascade518
    A classic Michael Mann directed movie that at time reminded me of "Miami Vice"....the way it ran in a sense. James Caan is not taking any punches or prisoners as he has choosen to take on one more and his last score. It seems as if his current employer refuses to let him out of ... read morehis thieving contractact...so it seems as if James Caan has got to show him that what he says he means...see this it was pretty good!

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Critic Reviews

Variety Staff
March 26, 2009
Variety Staff, Variety

A slick Chicago crime-drama with a well-developed sense of pathos running throughout. Full Review

Roger Ebert
October 23, 2004
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

It's one of those films where you feel the authority right away: This movie knows its characters, knows its story, and knows exactly how it wants to tell us about them. Full Review

Vincent Canby
August 30, 2004
Vincent Canby, New York Times

Mr. Mann may well become a very good theatrical film maker but, among other things, he's going to have to learn how to edit himself, to resist the temptation to allow dialogue that is colorful to turn... Full Review

Fernando F. Croce
April 19, 2010
Fernando F. Croce, CinePassion

neo-Melvillian existentialism Full Review

Tim Brayton
June 5, 2009
Tim Brayton, Antagony & Ecstasy

Not just the best film of [Michael Mann's] career, but one of the best American films of the whole of the 1980s. Full Review

Geoff Andrew
January 26, 2006
Geoff Andrew, Time Out

A philosophical thriller filled with modernist cool. Full Review

Chuck O'Leary
October 8, 2005
Chuck O'Leary, Fantastica Daily

A tough and intense crime thriller. James Caan gives one of his finest performances.

Dennis Schwartz
November 28, 2004
Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews

A cool action film. Full Review

Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat
January 31, 2004
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat, Spirituality and Practice

Thief embues the crime story genre with fresh sophistication. Full Review

Dan Lybarger
April 18, 2003
Dan Lybarger, Nitrate Online

An engrossing early effort from Michael Mann

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

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    • Frank: Your criteria are so far up your ass, they can't see daylight!
    • Okla: Lie to no one. If there 's somebody close to you, you'll ruin it with a lie. If they're a stranger, who the fuck are they you gotta lie to them?
    • Okla: Lie to no one. If there 's somebody close to you, you'll ruin it with a lie. If they're a stranger, who the fuck are they you gotta lie to them?
    • Frank: I am the last guy in the world that you wanna fuck with.
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Thief Trivia

  • Alfred Hitchcock classic with Cary Grant as a suave exburglar who is being framed for a new series of jewel thefts?  Answer »
  • Which movie has Luke Wilson, a rookie cop, & Martin Lawrence, a jewel thief teaming up?  Answer »
  • Michelle Pfeiffer was a woman at night and a hawk by day. Rutger Hauer was a wolf at night, and a man by day. Matthew Broderick was a thief named Mouse. What movie is this?  Answer »
  • I was in the Facts of Life, I worked in the ER, my secret identity was Bruce Wayne, and I was a thief, who am I . . .  Answer »
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